'Maya Govt siphoned off Rs 10 bn from job scheme'

The Congress Tuesday accused the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh of siphoning off Rs.10 billion from the fund provided by the central government under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

"Of the Rs.1780 crore (Rs.17.8 billion) sanctioned for Uttar Pradesh under the scheme till July 31, only Rs.780 crore (Rs.7.8 billion) were spent and the rest was siphoned off on the directions of (Uttar Pradesh chief minister) Mayawati," state president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, alleged in a press conference here.

"This is the biggest scam that has taken place in the country and we demand a high level central inquiry into this," she added.

"We have also made a 35-minute compact disc containing the reality of how the money is being siphoned off and the statements of those poor people who have been paid a nominal amount against the sanctioned daily wage," Joshi claimed.

A copy of the CD can be obtained from the Uttar Pradesh Congress head office by anyone who is interested in the well being of the poor in the state, she added.

Terming the communal tension in Azamgarh district after a convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Adityanath was allegedly attacked Sunday to be a pre-planned gimmick, Joshi claimed that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was hand in glove with the BJP.

"In view of the Lok Sabha elections, both these parties are trying their best to provoke such communal incidents in an attempt to pamper their political ambitions," Joshi added.

The BJP and BSP have also entered into a pact for the elections, she added.

The Congress also produced a fact sheet claiming to reveal the reasons behind the power shortage faced by the state.

"The money sanctioned for Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna (RGGVY) is being distributed among the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) officials and the contractors who were entitled to supply raw material and electrical gadgets under the scheme," claimed Vivek Singh, Congress legislator from Banda district.

Under the scheme, the central government aims to provide power free of cost to below poverty line (BPL) consumers. While the project is funded by the central government, the state electricity boards are to implement it.

"All the transformers and the electricity supply wires are sub-standard and are being purchased at much higher rates. The siphoning is being carried out on the directions of the chief minister," Singh alleged.